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D. AS-HWORTH & R. B. EATON. APPARATUS FOR GONGENTRATI-NGY SULPHURIGACID. No. 78,352.

Patented May 26, 1868.

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Letters Patent No. 78,352, dated May 26, 1868.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR GONCBNTRATIN G SULPHUBIG ACID.

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Be it known that we, DANIEL Asnwon'rn and ROBERT B. EATON, of.Woburn, inthe county of Middlesex,

"and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Apparatus for Concentrating Sulphuric Acids, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in wh-ich-Figure 1 representsa perspective viewof the apparatus containing ourimprovements, and

Figures a and 3 represent a cage for holding the retorts.

This invention is designed as an'improvement upon an apparatus for whichLetters Patent were granted to us on the 12th 'of Mareh, 1867; and theinvention or improvement consists in the employment of retorts throughwhich the acids pass its the process of condensation, made either whollyof platinum, or of platinum and glass combined.

The invention also consists in conducting the steam or vapor from theretorts tc-the oil-of-vitriol chamber, for the purpose of heating orimparting'stcam to its contents, and thus dispensing with the useiofsteam from a separate boiler.

The invention also consists in the employment of a reservoir or vesselformed with a double easing, so arranged that the oil of vitriol willpass into and through the space formed by the double casing previous toits undergoing-the process of concentration, and thus become heated bythe concentrated acid in the inner portion of the said vessel, theconcentrated acid being in an equal-degree cooled by contact with innercasing of the said vessel Oirescrvoir.

Referring to the drawings, A represents'a chamber containing the oil ofvitriol, 13 bcing the outer side, properly framed andsupported. D is thebase or floor on which the apparatus is placed. 'ihe'furnace is placedat the front portion, F, of' the apparatus, and the products ofcombustionpass underneath the seriesof'rctorts to the chimney, asdescribed in the patent previously referred to.

I a a represent retorts, which may be made either wholly of thinplatinum, or partly of platinum and partly of'glass. When made entirelyofglass,'as described in our patent previously referred to, they areliable to break, and thus waste the contents. The-platinum retorts mayhe made very thin, whiehwill admit of their contents being very quicklyand highly heated. The upper portion, a, of the retorts is made to fitwithin a groove or recess, formcdin the lower portion, in whieh'groovewater maybe placed, to form a water-lute, to prevent the escape of thegases or vapors from the retorts.

b I; I; represent retorts made of glass, and communicating with eachother by means of straight tubes or, by siphons, as shown.

c c e are lcadcn pans, arranged as shown at the rear end of the flue F.Thebottom of the pan a extends below the one next to it, and through thelower portion of the said pan pass tubes or pipes, at, open at each end,d unicating with the flue-space so as to allow of the passage of theproducts-of combustion through the said tubes, and thus expose thecontents of the pan 0 to a greater heating-surface. The pans communicateone with the other by means of tubes at their upper edges.

From the upper portion of the retorts cxtend'tubes e, which areconnected at their upper ends with alarger tube, G. The tube G entersthe chamber A near the top, into which is conductedthe steam or ,vaporarising from the retorts, and thus serves to heat and supply steam tothe said chamber, by which means the steam from a boiler, as usuallyemployed, may be dispensed with.

Near the front'po r'ticn of the apparatus, and below the level of thelowermost retort of the series, is a tressci or reservoir, I, which isconstructed with a double casing,-so as to-leave a space between the'twocasings, the said space being'e'ntircly disconnected with the space inthe inner portion of the vessel I.

' In the centre of the vessel I is arranged an upright tube of glass, K,which is designed to be suspended, by means ofa'shoulder or edge at itsupper cnd, to the cover of the vessel I, the lower end of the said tubebeing over its opening in thebottom of the vessel, but'not in contactwith it.

A tube, it, leads from the lowermost retort to the top of the glass tubeK, and from the opening in the bot -tom of the vessel extends atube, L,to thepan-P- From the lower part of the oil'-ofvitriol chamber A extendsa tube, H, that enters at its lower end into the space between the twocasings of the vessel I. On the'opposite side of the said casing, at itsupper end, isv a tube, M, also communicating with the said space, andleading to the pan a, at the rear of the apparatus.

The concentrated acid, after passing through the serics'of retorts, isconducted .in a highly heated state into the tube K, in the centre ofthe vessel I, and,filling' the said inner compartment, passes outthrough the aperture'in the bottom and the pipe L, to the receptacle P.At the same time the diluted oil of vitriol, in a 'cool state,passingthrough tube 11, fills the space surrounding the innercompartment, and thus serves to cool the concentrated acid containedtherein.

The heat of the coucentratel'tl ncid,-after thelatter has passed throughthe series at retorts, is thus utilized in imparting. heat to the oil ofvitriol previous to its entering upon the process of concentration, andthe concentrated acid will in an equal degree become cooled by contactwithtlie inner casing of the reservoir I, and by the time it reaches thepan P, is in a condition to be put into the carboys for transportation.

Figs. 2 and 3 represent a cage or frame of metal, which is inserted-inthe openings over the furnace-flue, and is designed to hold the retortsfor the greater security of the latter.

Single retorts madeof. platinum have heen used in concentrating acids.These were required to be made of thick materiahand are, consequently,quite expensive and cumbersome. The advantages of a series of platinumretorts or those made partly of platinum and partly of glass, as in ourpresent'iuvention, consistin. their comparatively low cost, the smallpetorts enabling usto use light or thin sheets oi platinum in theirconstruction, economy in the use of fuel, and a saving of labor. 7

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Conducting the steam or vapors from the retorts to the oil-of-vitriolchamber, for the purpose and in the manner. substantially sis-described.

2. I claim cooling the concentrated oil of vitriol and heating thevitriol before its concentration, by passing the same around or througha vessel, I, constructed as described.

3. I claim constructing the pan 0, with tubes or lines d, for thepurpose specified.

4. I claim conducting the acid from one retort to the other, by means ofsiphons or tubes, as described.

5. I claim constructing the retortsof platinum, or partly of platinumand partly of glass, when the same are arrangedinu series andcommunicate with each other, as set forth.

' Intestimony whereof, we have signed our. names .to this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' I DANIEL ASHWORTH,

ROB. n. EATON.

Witnesses:

HENRY H. Wm'rns, Smuuow Homer.

